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FULL STORY
In Swain and Jackson counties in North Carolina, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians -- descendents of those who defied President Andrew Jackson's order to move all Cherokees to west of the Mississippi -- live on land they've inhabited for 10,000 years. They manage their own schools, hospitals, cable company, tourist attractions and multimillion-dollar casino.
"Spiral of Fire," a documentary produced, directed and edited by Carol Cornsilk, lecturer of radio, television and film at the University of North Texas, shows how the Eastern Band of Cherokees' fusion of tourism, cultural preservation and spirituality is working to ensure the tribe's vitality in the 21st Century. The UNT Department of Radio, Television and Film will present a free screening of the documentary Nov. 5 (Thursday) as part of the university's observance of Native American Heritage Month.
The screening begins at 7 p.m. in Room 184 of UNT's Radio, Television, Film and Performing Arts Building, which is located on the corner of Welch and Chestnut streets. Admission is free. Cornsilk, an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, will be on hand to introduce "Spiral of Fire" and answer questions after the screening.
"Spiral of Fire" is the second part of Cornsilk's "Indian Country Diaries" series. She produced the series with her company, Adanvdo Vision, in conjunction with Native American Public Communications in Lincoln, Neb., where Cornsilk was director of programming and production. "Indian Country Diaries" premiered on PBS stations in November 2006.
Cornsilk has worked in broadcast and documentary film production for almost three decades. She has worked as a producer, director, writer or editor on "Austin City Limits," earning a National Medal of Arts, and TBS' "The Native Americans," which earned her a Cable ACE nomination. She also received an Emmy nomination for her work on the documentary "Impressions of Normandy" and a National Educational Telecommunications Association award for her work on the concert performance series "Recital Hall."
In addition to her work with Native American Public Communications, Cornsilk was a senior/producer at Nashville Public Television and a producer/director at KLRU-TV, Austin's PBS affiliate and home to "Austin City Limits." She joined the UNT faculty in the fall of 2008.
She received her bachelor's degree in radio, television and film from the University of Texas at Austin and her master's degree in journalism and mass communications from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
The above text is based on a UNT News Service news release available on the web at http://web3.unt.edu/news/story.cfm?story=11627.
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